[guest post by Dana]

Let’s go!

First news item

Of course Trump is pushing for this:

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that his department has prepared the design for a $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump, anticipating the passage of stalled legislation in Congress to put the president on a new denomination of legal tender.

Bessent said at the White House that authorizing the new currency will be up to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but that “we’ve created the bill” because “we have to be prepared.”

Note:

An exception to the federal law banning living people on U.S. money is currently being pursued through legislation. To feature President Donald Trump on a proposed commemorative $250 note, Congress must pass the Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act (H.R. 1761) to amend the 1866 law that restricts currency portraits to deceased individuals.

Second news item

Payouts following Charlie Kirk killing:

At least $2 million in settlements has been agreed to after employees and other critics were fired or penalized over their posts about Charlie Kirk following his killing.

. . .

Kirk’s death became a catalyst for a free speech debate after an estimated 600 individuals were fired or punished for criticizing the conservative political activist or downplaying his death — repercussions that were backed by the Trump administration.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is aware of 14 First Amendment lawsuits in federal court brought by workers terminated for their comments about Kirk, not including those brought by workers terminated in the private sector or filed in state court.

Third news item

Just horrible:

Russians turned the “last bells” in the occupied area of Ukraine into a platform for recruiting children into the Russian army.

As reported by the Center for National Resistance, this year the Russian administration placed a major emphasis on selecting graduates for UAV units.

Even before the end of the school year, school principals and collaborators were handing over lists of students who participated in military clubs, drone classes, and “homeland defense lessons” to representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry.

According to the Center for National Resistance, individual “interviews” were conducted with teenagers directly during and after the ceremonies. They were promised free education in Russia, a “career as a UAV operator,” and benefits for joining the military.

Separately, the occupiers restricted parents’ access to schools, citing “anti-terrorist measures.” In reality, this allowed Russian military personnel and recruiters to work with children without the presence of their families.

Fourth news item

Jeepers, the DOJ rooting out private individuals who criticized the administration’s deportation decisions??!! Again, this administration believes the First Amendment is just an option to use when needed:

The US Justice Department is seeking the names, addresses, and banking information of Reddit and X users, ratcheting up efforts to identify social media critics of government deportation efforts.

The US Attorney’s Office for Washington, led by Jeanine Pirro, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has subpoenaed the social media companies as part of criminal investigations, asking for personal information on at least two anonymous posters behind accounts that have chided immigration enforcement efforts, according to records shared by attorneys for the users.

I hope every individual whose identity is revealed files for damages from Trump’s newly established slush fund. . . Oops! Looks like that is no longer possible, at least for now.

Fifth news item

Here we go again:

The Pentagon has spent months positioning the troops and weapons needed for the U.S. to launch a military attack on Cuba — all it needs is a final go-ahead from Donald Trump.

The president has floated an invasion of the island after economic and political pressure failed to topple the Communist government. But the Navy’s built-up presence in the region — the largest in the world outside the Middle East — would allow the U.S. to act immediately.

These strategically placed assets set the table for military action, from a capture of Havana’s leadership much like the seizure of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to a series of precision strikes. And they open the possibility that the U.S. throws itself into the third international conflict of the Trump administration.

Sixth news item

BREAKING: A Russian drone struck an apartment building in NATO member Romania, injuring two people.

Major escalation pic.twitter.com/9qEQ0YtbVk

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 29, 2026

Have a great weekend.

—Dana